Women's Hoops Guru

By Mel Greenberg

PHILADELPHIA – For most St. Joseph’s and Villanova women’s basketball players, the game between them that actually counts each season is a reunion from the number of times they go against each other either in local pickup games or in the summertime action of the Department of Recreation’s NCAA league at Northeast High.

But to some who do not have local roots, it may take a while to learn the expectations associated with Big Five competition, especially in the long history of the series between the Wildcats and the Hawks.

Apparently, St. newcomer Mariame Djourna is one who came absorb information quickly.

“`Coach’ and the team have been talking about it for the last week,” the junior college transfer who was born in Africa’s Ivory Coast said after scoring 32 points in the historic 66-57 triple overtime win by the Hawks Thursday night at Philadelphia University’s Gallagher Center. “Jenna and `Mick’ have been here for the longest time.

“I know it (the Big Five) is interesting, but not as in the conference the same thing,” Djourara said about the differences beween the round-robin and the Atlantic Ten. It’s fun and I’m happy we won.”

“She was crying – tears of joy,” Hawks senior guard Mary Kate McDade, a graduate of Nazareth Academy, said.

For McDade and senior Jenna Loschiavo, a graduate of Plymouth Whitemarsh, the game was one last chance to add another win against the Wildcats (3-4, 1-2 Big Five) to their collegiate resume.

Loschiavo put the Hawks (4-3, 2-0 Big Five) ahead to stay, 60-57, with a three-pointer, only the second in the game fror St. Joseph’s, with 3 minutes, 9 seconds left in the third overtime.

“For me and ‘Mick,’ it was our last time playing Villanova,” Loschiavo said. “You see that Mariame and `Brit’ (Brittany Ford’s 24 points), had all the points. But, defensively, for everything to click everyone had to play team basketball.”

Djouara, who was 13-for-30 from the field, was 4-for-6 in the final overtime to help the Hawks prevail.

The resident of Owing Mills, Md., near Baltimore, was asked if her heroics helped overcome a foul on Villanova’s Lisa Karcic with 0.01 left in the second overtime.

The game was extended when Karcic made only one of two free throws to tie the score at 57-57.

“Who can remember?” Griffin laughed about the marathon encounter, the longest in Big Five women’s history and for either team in its overall history.

“I remember,” Djouara smiled. “Yes.”

Griffin, who played Villanova as a member of the Hawks in her collegiate days, first learned of Djoara by getting an email.

“We looked at her and we beat out Georgia to get her,” Griffin said. “How does that happen?

“But she’s something else. She just wants to win. But she’s more than that. “She’s `Jameer’ special.”

Griffin’s reference was to former Hawks men’s star Jameer Nelson, now in the NBA, who as a senior was part of the 27-0 run before the team’s first loss, in the Atlantic Ten tournament, in 2003-04.

“My team has been helping me a lot with the transition and I am happy and thankful for my teammates because I couldn’t do what I did tonight without them.” Said Djouara. “All I want to do is be there when we they me the most.”

Her performance comes at the right time because the Hawks have been struck with adversity again. Sophomore center Sarah Acker, the Big Five’s top freshman last season, is sidelined, suffering with bursitis in her hip.

“I don’t expect her back this season,” Griffin said. “Hopefully, she might be able to help us at practice in the second semester.”

Djouara played 51 minutes of the 55 it took to complete the game. Loschiavo played in all 55 and McDade played in 54. Amy Gillespie played in 50 minutes and Ford played 43.

Grffin only used two players off the bench.

“This was not a game for certain players to be involved,” Griffin said. “But when we go to Hartford Saturday we’ll definitely need them. That will be different.”

On Villanova’s side, senior Laura Kurz played in 52 minutes, scoring 28 points and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds. She also made 11 turnovers for a inordinate triple double. Heather Scanlon also had a career high, matching Kurz’s total on the backboards.

In 1986, the final game of the Big Five season for both school, a power failure on Villanova’s campus caused the game to be cancelled after play got under way.

Temple had already clinched the title with a 4-0 record.

St. Joseph’s and Villanova made up for those lost minutes Thursday night.

Prior to this season, the only overtime games in Big Five history were a 62-61 victory by Temple over the Hawks on Jan. 25, 2004, at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, currently under renovation, and a 66-64 win by Temple at La Salle on January 8, 2006.

That win has contributed to Temple’s current record 18-game win streak in the City Series.

Villanova lost an overtime game to La Salle last month in the season opener for both teams and then beat Penn with a three-pointer just before the end of the game.

The loss knocks the Wildcats out of the Big Five race – Temple visits on Jan. 20 – and leaves the outcome open until Temple, St. Joseph’s and La Salle meet each other in January as part of the Atlantic Ten competition among them.

Thursday night’s game was typical of most close encounters in the Big Five and also typical of the low-scoring affairs that occur when Villanova is involved.

Points were so hard to come by, that it might have been possible to run down the street in East Falls to buy a cheesesteak from a well-known neighborhood establishment and return without missing any field goals.

“I thought it was a great atmosphere,” Villanova coach Harry Perretta said of the use of St. Joseph’s temporary home this season. “For a fan, it had to be great.”

The Hawks lead the all-time series, 26-12, between the two schools and lead the Wildcats, 86-84, in total Big Five wins since the round-robin began in 1979-80.

This is the 30th anniversary season for the women’s competition.

Kurz took personal responsibility for the loss.

“We are still making the same mistakes we have made all year,” said Kurz, a former Germantown Academy star who transferred from Duke prior to last season. “I continue to turn the ball over and I have offensive fouls at crucial times. It’s something I have been doing all year and I have been doing my whole career. At some point it has to register.

“It’s tough. I mean, I thought we were a mature team and a more experienced team. We should be better.”

Perretta lauded Kurz was accepting blame “as a fifth-year senior,” but also said the loss couldn’t totally be blamed on her mistakes.

“The bottom line is Maria Getty is 1-for-10 and Siobhan O’Connor was 1-for-7.”

He also bemoaned Villanova’s inability to make wide-open shots, especially for a team that set records for three-point shooting a year but has struggled from the outside this year as in Thursday night’s 5-for-31 effort from the field.

The Wildcats next stay home to host Lehigh Sunday.

-- Mel